


opposing sides

by arochill



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Family Feels, MCC - Freeform, Separations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26597296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arochill/pseuds/arochill
Summary: None of them had even thought it might happen. But, in the end, that didn’t matter.They still stood against each other either way.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 315





	opposing sides

They hadn’t even thought of it as a possibility. One of them would win, of course, they had to always believe that, but none of them had thought about the last round. None of them had thought about the fact that they could be standing here, feet planted against the turf with bows in hand, facing each other.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. One of them was meant to be cheering for the others on the sideline, smiles on their faces and tense in their wait to see if their friends – their family – would win. This was meant to be fun – it was meant to be happy. It wasn’t meant to cause the pain they were feeling in their chests as they met the eyes of their family, waiting for the battle to begin. There were no smiles on the faces of the people in the arena, and the cheers of the teams in the audience stands fell onto deaf ears.

Techno didn’t shake. He knew how to fight, how to remain calm in the face of adversity. He knew where to aim his arrow the second he got it, he knew who to shoot for first. He had practiced for this.

That knowledge didn’t stop the way his heart was beating in his chest. It was like a jackhammer beating at a thundering pace, and he fought to keep the stress he was feeling off his face as Tommy and Wilbur stared him down from across the arena. There was pain in their eyes and Techno could see it as clear as day. He could see how much they didn’t want to do this.

(He didn’t want to do this either.)

He adjusted his grip on the bow, and readied himself to move.

(If he hesitated when the counter hit zero, if his fingers tightened a little too much against the bow, then it was nobody’s business but his own.)

They were his family in all but blood – his  _ kids.  _ He knew them just as well as he knew himself, and he would trust them with his life. Techno was by his side, a comforting presence, but that wasn’t enough. Not here, not now.

Phil wanted to walk over the line in the group and pull his boy’s into a hug. He wanted to tell them how proud he was of them for reaching the final battle – he wanted to cheer for them as they dominated the competition. He wanted it to be a victory that they could all be proud of.

But no matter the result of this battle, there would be disappointment from one side.

Phil couldn’t relax for even a second.

He could feel Techno’s eyes on the side of his head, a familiar weight, an unspoken question directly at him, and Phil nodded his head.

His hands shook against the wood of his bow, but he forced himself to be calm. For Techno, he would do this.

(He hoped that, when this was all over, it wouldn’t break apart their family.)

It broke his heart.

Phil breathed in, and he readied himself for the fight of a lifetime.

Reaching the finales wasn’t something that Wilbur had expected to do. Of course, he knew that it was always a possibility. He didn’t doubt his own skills, and his teammates were all powerhouses in their own rights, but reaching dodgebolt was always a difficult goal to hit. When he had originally looked at the leaderboard, his excitement had been palpable.

They had done it. Techno and Phil had to be so  _ proud  _ of them. For a moment, Wilbur had been excited to see his family on the sidelines cheering for him and Tommy. And then he saw the name of the team he would be facing, and all the excitement he felt faded.

He loved fighting Techno and Phil. Their comments between battles always made it so it was  _ always  _ fun, allowing a running commentary to flow through blows and always,  _ always  _ pushing Wilbur to improve.

But, as he stood on opposing sides of two of the people he looked up to most, he didn’t hear their voices. There was no encouragement, there was only the sound of Wilbur’s team preparing for a difficult fight for the right to first place.

Techno met his eyes from across the arena.

Wilbur wanted to scream.

He wanted to be happy for all of them.

They had reached the finales together. All the Sleepy Bois, again on the same battlefield.

Against each other.

Beside him, Tommy placed a hand on Wilbur’s shoulder.

“We’ve got this, big man.”

Wilbur inhaled.

“Let’s show them what we’re made of.”

Tommy wanted to be excited. He had done it. He and Wilbur and Tubbo and Pokimane had done it. Just being on the arena for dodgebolt was an accomplishment in itself and Tommy wished he could bring Techno and Phil into a voice call so he could brag about it — and maybe they would tell him how proud they were of how far he had come.

But he couldn’t do that.

It hasn’t even crossed his mind that he could be facing off against two of the people who had pushed him to better himself over the past year – two of the most important people in his life. It had been all or nothing. One team would always be cheering for the other, that was how it was meant to be.

Tommy didn’t know how to feel. He still felt that excitement, of course he did. Tubbo was by his side and they were so close to claiming the crowns, and they had worked so  _ hard  _ to make it to this point. But there was a loneliness, a hole in the air where there was quiet when there was meant to be noise. A silence where two voices, familiar and encouraging, didn’t exist.

Tommy’s hold on his bow was too tight.

(People are cheering for you, Tommy, look how far you’ve come.)

Techno and Phil exchanged a brief look, and it was then that Tommy saw the same hesitation he felt reflected in the expressions of the men who were like his family.

(They would still be proud of him after this, wouldn’t they?)

Tommy loosened his grip on the bow, and he smiled.

Of course they would.

The countdown hit zero, and it began.

_ (There were tears when the battle ended, and crowns were stolen, and laughter was heard echoing across the area. Even though the loss stung, even though the victory felt slightly bitter, they were still family. _

_ It didn’t matter what team they were on, or how many arrows were shot towards them by people they cared about. _

_ They would  _ always  _ be family.) _


End file.
